Life of R.K. Narayan:- Demystified
The art of writing comes out to be more real when one has seen, felt, imagined, and observed the surroundings so well that it gives rise to such great literary work like Malgudi Days, The English Teacher(1945), Waiting for the Mahatma(1955), The Guide(1958) and many more.
R.K. Narayan is an Indian Author who has introduced stories that are a part of the real world, his writing gives a taste of familiarity and simplicity. His fine works have always portrayed or revolved around the town of Malgudi in South India. He is known to have deep observing skills as all his work portrays how he can study different human behavior and get an inspiration to form stories out of the ongoing life, incidents, and events that take place on a daily basis.
INTRODUCTION
R.K. Narayan was born on the 10th of October, 1906 in Chennai (then known as Madras). He lived with his grandmother, his father's job as a headmaster had to undergo numerous transfers which led Narayan to spend the several years of his childhood with his maternal grandmother. He was very close and dearest to his grandmother who gave him a lot in the areas of arithmetic, mythology, Indian classical music, and even Sanskrit.
EDUCATION
He pursued his schooling from Madras itself where he went to the Lutheran Mission School of Purasawalkam, Christian College High School.
This going to be a novelist had always been into reading since a very tender age. He has had a complete and deep understanding of the stories and has also learned to evaluate a piece of writing which paved a way for his incredible work that we receive as a treat. Some of the work that he read in his early ages are written by Thomas Hardy, Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens, and Woodhouse.
To shape a diamond, it takes time and effort, that's how Narayan realized that he was made to contribute towards our Indian Literature. This realization struck when he went to Mysore with his father to live there, as his father was posted in Maharajah's College High School where he got exposure to a number of novels that filled the University's library. This way he became an avid reader and also started writing, after his high school he failed the University Entrance Examination which gave him a year which was mostly spent by reading and writing, when he finally passed the examination, he completed his bachelor's degree from the Maharaja College of Mysore. He was not up for a Master's Degree as he never wanted to kill his passion for writing. For a small passage of time, Narayan worked as a school teacher which didn't quench his thirst for literature, as a job is more of a commercial thing for him, there was a missing factor, and at this point, he took a turn and got into writing novels that gave him satisfaction.
MARRIED LIFE and CAREER
R.K. Narayan got married to a 15-year-old girl, Rajam in 1933 which wasn't smooth enough, there were obstacles in front of them due to astrological unmatch and finances. He took permission from Rajam's father to marry her.
Narayan worked as a reporter after his marriage in "The Justice" which was a Madras-based newspaper. He also picked up and initiated a campaign to fight for the injustice with the non-Brahmins. R.K Narayan's complete name is Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami who himself is a Brahmin. He has always been passionate about his work and has also been a revolutionist who was influential which left people in awe of his ability and charisma.
R.K. NARAYAN'S WORK
His first work was Swami and Friends whose manuscript was sent to a friend at Oxford by Narayan. His work was appreciated by Graham Greene who gave him a suggestion to shorten his name to have easy identification in English literature which made him R.K. Narayan. The book was recommended to be published and it finally got published in 1935. Swami and Friends is a glimpse of his own childhood and his memory of the old surroundings where his childhood was based. Series of his writings made ways to enter into the place which he created himself by his ability to make readers relate to the stories constructed by him. His work got published under different publications one after the other, his work includes The Bachelor of Arts (1937), The Dark Room (1938), and many others.
All his novels were a result of what he has faced and seen, he depicted his real-life experiences in his novels, this gave him an identity amongst those writers, who find inspiration around themselves and weave words to form miraculous stories that portray a realistic approach towards life. The Bachelor of Arts(1935) depicted his college times where he attempted to show how rebelliousness is neutralized or controlled when changes take place with an adolescent. Another work The Dark Room spotted male dominance within our society. Malgudi Days' stories are the most celebrated set of work by R.K. Narayan which illustrated a fictional town and it's inhabitants in the most graceful and humorous manner that made these stories evergreen. Malgudi Days is a must-read for those who love humor and admire the art of observation and simplicity.
R.K. NARAYAN’s APPROACH Towards WRITING
R.K. Narayan has always been inspired by the scenes he saw in his town and his surroundings, this inspiration enabled him to catch incidents, perceive human relations and behavior, and frame it beautifully in short stories. His writings are never intentionally or purposively portrayed, its narration is simple, subtle, and flows nonchalantly. He has his own room in the genre of humor and has an amazing art of portraying irony so well.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Narayan has been awarded the Sahitya Academy Award in 1958 for his spectacular work. He also received the Padma Bhushan in 1964, he was also nominated to Rajya Sabha in 1989. There are a number of achievements he received throughout his lifetime. His role is remarkable and has created a great place in the art of writing. He left this world on the 13th of May, 2001 when he was 94. He has contributed a lot to glorify and promote India through his art.
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